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Visions of Victory Presented by Mutual of Omaha:
A Century of Sports Photography
September 13–November 29, 2008
Photography and sports have evolved hand-in-hand for more than 100 years. The idea of stopping time — glimpsing motion itself in its infinite forms — applies equally to viewing athletics and to creating photographic images. The two worlds, those of the athlete and the photographer, come together in the special exhibition Visions of Victory Presented by Mutual of Omaha, on view at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art from September 13 through November 15.
Visions of Victory gathers over 100 images from around the world by such acknowledged masters as William Henry Jackson (1843-1942, one of America's foremost frontier photographers), Annie Leibovitz (an American photographer known for her images of celebrities including political figures, musicians, actors, and athletes), and David Burnett (a globetrotting photojournalist named one of the "100 Most Important People in Photography" by American Photo magazine). These renowned artists are presented along with less familiar photographers whose lenses have captured some of the greatest moments in sports history. Sports giants like Arthur Ashe, Wilt Chamberlain, Nadia Comaneci, Ty Cobb, Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Joe Namath, and Babe Ruth are portrayed at moments of determined exertion, enthusiastic celebration, or quiet reflection. Featured sports include auto racing, baseball, basketball, boxing, cycling, diving, figure skating, football, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, kayaking, sailing, soccer, swimming, tennis, thoroughbred racing, track and field, and wrestling, among others.
The installation at Auburn marks the “final lap” for Visions of Victory on a tour organized by the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, which took the exhibition to other venues such as the Flint Institute of Arts (MI), San Antonio Museum of Art (TX) and Springfield Art Museum (MO). The JCSM presentation will be augmented by a select group of Auburn-related sports photography, showcasing examples by some of this area’s superlative fine art and journalistic photographers.
